Trek

Heidi

More men come, and more men go. It’s always the same. It’s never-ending, and the pain is never-ending. I’m tired, worn out. I was beaten and abused this time. My eye is swollen, and there’s a cut on my face that seeps blood.

Victor comes in and unties my hands before releasing me. Then I hear the door close, but the lock doesn’t click. Something inside of me sparks to life. The lock didn’t click. The fucking lock didn’t click. But what am I going to do? Run naked through the streets? And where would I go? My mom’s? I sigh, knowing there isn’t anywhere I can go, but I can’t stay here. This is my chance to get out. I have to take it, don’t I? I stand to my feet, licking my dry and busted lip, and head for the door. Pulling it open, I peek out but don’t see anyone. This is my chance.

I step out of the room and rush down the hall past the other girls' rooms. I don’t bother looking back or checking on them. I need to get the hell out of here, and this is my chance.

“You can do this,” I tell myself as I push harder and run to the side door. Finding it unlocked, I push through and come out into the open. The yard is small, and a fence separates it from the next yard over. I quickly glance around, hoping Victor isn’t looking as I sprint toward the fence. I grab onto the top and pull my naked body up and over. I drop to my feet on the other side and thank God when I find some clothes hanging on their line. I pull them off the line and quickly slide them on before taking off running through the neighboring backyards. I try to stay away from the main road as much as possible.

Rushing down side roads, I take them as quickly as I can barefoot. Rocks, pebbles, and debris dig in and cut them as I run. That’s when I hear Victor.

“Heidi!” he roars at the top of his lungs. A sick feeling clings to my insides as I push myself harder and faster. There’s a building ahead, and I can hide inside if I can make it there. Pushing myself on wobbling legs, I rush toward the door and shove myself inside. Then I slam my back against the door, trying to catch my breath as my legs shake. I did it. I ran. I can’t believe it.

“Who the fuck are you?” I hear a deep voice asking. I lift my head and look around at the men who have suddenly formed around me. This can’t be happening. Are they a part of the ring?

Unease trickles into my pores as I look at the intimidating men. They’re taller than me, bigger than me. Nerves fire off, and warning bells sound in my head, but it’s his eyes, the one in the middle, that call to me. Then he steps forward, and I know who he is.

“My God,” I whisper.

“I haven’t seen you in years,” he speaks softly as he takes another step toward me. It’s at this moment I know I’m safe.

“Rory.”

“What the hell happened to you, Heidi?” he asks. I swallow hard and glance around once more. “Does your mom know where you are?”

“No. I … things …” Once again, I find myself intimidated by the men around me. Rory steps closer, his hand coming up to my cheek before he pulls me into his arms. “Please don’t hurt me,” I sob.

“I’d never hurt you, Heidi. What the hell happened?”

“Do we have to talk here?” I glance over my shoulder and out the window to see if Victor is after me.

“Someone’s after you?”

“Yes,” I tell him.

“Keep an eye out. Anyone comes lookin’ for her, she isn’t here, and you haven’t seen her,” Rory says loudly. The guys all agree before Rory pulls my arm and leads me further inside. We’re down a long hallway when he pulls me into a different room.

“What’s this place?”

“It’s our clubhouse. How the hell did you get here?”

“I ran,” I say, nodding toward my bruised and cut feet. Rory curses under his breath and sits me on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom. He returns a few minutes later with a first aid kit. He sits on the floor and gets to work on cleaning my feet before wrapping them up.

“You gonna tell me what the hell is goin’ on, Heidi?”

“A while ago, I was taken by some men. I had no idea if I was still in town or not,” I tell him.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I was taken, Rory! I was fucking kidnapped!”

“From where? By who?”

“I don’t know who. I was out one day, and they grabbed me.”

“You were trafficked?”

“For months, I’ve been moved around, so I didn’t know I was still in Savannah. I’ve been moved all over, and I’m never allowed outside.” God telling him feels so good.

“You were close to here?” Rory asks as I nod my head. He stands from the floor and paces the room as he watches me intently.

“Not far.” Before I know it, he’s storming from the room. I stand and follow him, watching his back as he stalks through the hall. When he’s back into the main room, he calls for the others.

“She was close!” he roars.

“What do you mean?”

“She was trafficked. Heidi was part of that sex ring,” he informs them. I feel my face flush as a woman wraps her arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, you’re okay now. I’m Evie,” she says sweetly and nods toward another girl. “That’s Cheryl.”

“I’m Heidi.”

“You’re safe here, Heidi.”

“Am I?” I ask, unsure. I was told I was safe with Victor too, and look where that got me.

“You are.” I feel myself relax slightly but not fully.

“What do you mean? How close?” Rory turns to look at me, and I shrug my shoulders.

“A couple of miles, maybe?” Evie keeps me tucked into her side as anger fills Rory’s eyes. He turns back to the guys, and another one speaks.

“We find it. We raid it, and we kill any motherfucker in it!” The man yells. The other men follow suit.

“You’ll have to talk to them,” Evie tells me as I shake my head.

“I can’t do that.”

“You can. You have to tell them everything so they can fix this,” she urges. I pull out of her grasp and spin around to face her.

“Fix this? There is no fixing this. What the hell is wrong with you? You think you can fix this?” I scream at her when I feel hands on my shoulders. I shrug them off, not wanting anyone to touch me right now. I don’t want to feel anyone.

“Calm down.”

“Fuck you! Don’t tell me to calm down. Do you know what I’ve lived through? What I’ve dealt with?” I scream at him. Rory doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve me screaming at him, but he’s here, and he’s touching me and trying to calm me. There is no calming me.

“I got an idea,” he says, keeping his tone calm.

“No, you don’t. You have no idea! They drug us. Me. They drugged me. So fucking high I could hardly see straight without it. I feel it, shit crawling all over my skin. Men touching me, doing things to me. You don’t fucking know anything!” My rant goes on when I feel the prick in my neck. Glancing over, I see the sad look in Evie’s eyes as my body slowly starts to give out. I feel myself falling, but someone’s there, catching me.

I’m lifted in his arms and cradled to his chest. I want to hit him, punch him, run from him, but I can’t. I’m stuck, stuck in a place I can’t get away from.

“Why’d you do it?” I ask as tears fill my eyes.

“I had to. You aren’t coherent, Heidi. We’ll fix this,” Rory tells me.

“You can’t fix me. I’m so broken.”

“You’re gonna be fine,” he tells me as he carries me toward the hall. Before I know it, I’m back in a room and placed on a bed. My eyes are heavy as I try to fight the drugs they’ve pushed into my system.

“Why?” I can feel tears leak down my cheeks, but there’s nothing I can do to stop them.

“I needed you to calm down, darlin’. You’re gonna be fine.”

“They hurt me,” I whisper as sleep comes calling.

“They’ll pay for that.” That’s the last thing I heard before sleep and darkness pulled me under.